Reviews tagging 'Slavery'

Vremea disprețului by Andrzej Sapkowski

12 reviews

timmytunter's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

As the second book in The Witcher saga, “Time of Contempt” picks up where “Blood of Elves” left off, continuing the complex and riveting story of Geralt of Rivia, Yennefer, and Ciri. Although central to the plot, Geralt takes a bit of a backseat in this installment. We get some quality Geralt/Yennefer moments, but Geralt is soon grievously wounded in battle. Consequently, he misses out on much of the action, which is later recounted to him by the bard Dandelion.

The final third of the book shifts focus to Ciri, who is now isolated from her protective guardians. Her struggle for survival in the wilderness is a gripping narrative that highlights her growth and resilience. The early parts of the story also add depth to Ciri’s relationship with Yennefer, which I found particularly enjoyable.

The story is rich with politics and intrigue, faction infighting, and a monstrous plot for power. Our protagonists, largely unaware of the machinations around them, navigate through the chaos, leading to a cliffhanger that left me anxiously anticipating the next book.

While the dense political discussions and time jumps can be challenging to follow, the intricacy of the plot becomes clearer as the story progresses. By the time I finished the book, I had a firm handle of the plot and was eager to continue with the series. Without hesitation, I promptly moved on to book 3, “Baptism of Fire.”

Overall, “Time of Contempt” is a compelling continuation of The Witcher saga, filled with rich character development and intricate plotting that keeps you hooked until the very end.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Confinement, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Xenophobia, War, and Injury/Injury detail

thenoboshow's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Trafficking, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail

mcmeiss's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Genocide, Gore, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and War

Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, Cursing, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Kidnapping, and Alcohol

Minor: Slavery, Toxic relationship, Excrement, Vomit, and Toxic friendship

rainycraze's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

At the end Ciri very nearly gets raped, is saved, then immediately gets non-consensual lesbian violated. And then Ciri is apparently totally fine when she wakes up. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Vomit, Trafficking, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail

belladonnashrike's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

this is definitely my favorite one so far, but I wish there was more written about geralt & ciri’s relationship. I know these characters so well because of the show & what I know about the game, but I feel that their relationship isn’t very fleshed out in what I’ve read so far, even though it’s obvious they care for each other and are a family (including yennefer. yen & geralt’s and yen & ciri’s relationships are clearly defined and have been a focus so far, but I don’t feel the same has happened for geralt & ciri.) perhaps I’ve missed it but I just find it a bit odd. hopefully there’s more with those two in particular in the following books. I still loved this though 

also… why there isn’t a single map in any of these books is BEYOND me. smh 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, Murder, and War

Moderate: Body horror, Gore, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Vomit, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Cursing, Slavery, and Torture

graceless_grace's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny lighthearted tense medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Misogyny, Rape, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Racism, Slavery, Torture, and Kidnapping

camoo3032's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

The author is a genius at choosing which perspective to write from. It's this creative storytelling that makes it so interesting to read

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Gore, Rape, Sexual assault, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Sexism, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, and War

Minor: Animal death, Confinement, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Self harm, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Alcohol

stephen_welch93's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

The writing style is interesting. A lot of the action happens on the periphery of the narrative. That makes the world feel very alive. A lot happens away from the main characters. But that also makes it very complicated and difficult to keep track of what’s happening. The cast of characters is also very large, so keeping everyone straight can be tough. The plot is interesting and the characters are cool. I definitely want to know what happens next. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Suicide, Blood, Murder, and War

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cursing, Rape, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Vomit, Trafficking, and Alcohol

Minor: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Excrement, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Colonisation

tilo's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Wie immer: Unglaublich gute Fantasy und die Story ist fesselnd.
Besonders spannend finde ich nach wie vor wie facettenreich die Charaktere sind, denn hier kommen so viele verschiedene Motive aufeinander, Gruppierungen mit unterschiedlichsten Interessen und trotzdem hat jeder mit jedem irgendwie zu tun, wodurch ein faszinierendes Netz gespannt wurde.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, Gore, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Blood, Murder, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Racism, Torture, and War

Minor: Ableism, Cursing, Slavery, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, and Alcohol

andromeda_1998's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

The time of contempt is the third installment of the Witcher series. My opinion of this series has been divided  from the start. There are some element to the books that I love but the writer is one of the most toxic writers out there. 

These books are filled with toxic masculinity and sexism. I decided to tap all toxic sentences that I could find. I ended up with 23 taps. It would have been more if I had included repeated remarks. Here are some of the sentences: 

• “On the chair sat a MIDGET with a huge head, set directly on disproportionately narrow shoulders”
• “Not really” said the CRIPPLE, smiling. 
• “And if you rape any woman, do it on the quiet. Out of sight.” 

The writer always finds a way to talk about breasts, nipples, whores, rape and it doesn’t even matter if the individual he describes is a child. He romanticized rape, makes a lot of fatphobic comments and he is insensitive towards handicapped people. These books are problematic and if you didn’t already make the mistake to buy them please refrain from doing so. The story isn’t good enough to make up for it.  

 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Genocide, Homophobia, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Colonisation